James William Murray
James William Murray’s minimal and conceptual work explores the sensuality and fragility of the body through the materiality of painting, sculpture, and photography. His work seeks to move beyond the binary of abstraction and figuration by examining the iconographic, symbolic, and indexical potentialities of form, material, and process. The memento mori and theological concept of the relic are recurring points of reference. His material approach emphasises a corporeal engagement with elemental materials. For example, his monochrome graphite paintings involve burnishing carbon pigment into linen, canvas, and timber to create allusive surfaces that reflect and distort light through their underlying textures. His works on paper, made with copper particles suspended in beeswax, preserve fleeting impressions of touch in motion.
James William Murray (b. 1988) is a British artist living and working in Brighton UK and Heiloo, The Netherlands. He has presented his work in international solo, group, and two-person exhibitions at venues including Saturation Point, London, UK (2024); Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke, Belgium (2024, 2022, 2021, 2018, 2017); Museum Jan Heestershuis, Schijndel, The Netherlands (2024); iCOON Museum, Hook van Holland, The Netherlands (2024); Canopy Collections, London, UK (2023), The Church Tower of Sint Anna ter Muiden, Sluis, The Netherlands (2023); PS, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2023); Abingdon Studios, Blackpool, UK (2021); Rule Gallery, Denver, CO, USA (2021, 2019); and Towner Eastbourne, UK (2018, 2016).
Studio James William Murray CV
Education
2013 - 2015 Photography MA, University of Brighton UK
Solo Exhibitions
2024 All These Things (solo) Saturation Point, London
2023 Kruisvormen (solo) PS, Amsterdam NL
2022 Turn Your Face Towards My Face (solo) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE 2021 James William Murray: Realia (solo) Brighton Centre for Contemporary Arts, Brighton UK
2017 Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing (solo) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE 2017 Desire Works (solo) Project 78, St Leonard’s by Sea UK
Selected Group & Two-Person Exhibitions
2024 State of Affairs #2 (group) Gallery 19A, Brighton, UK
2024 Blocks & Grids (group) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke, BE
2024 Transcendental Landscapes, group exhibition, Museum Jan Heestershuis, Schijndel, The Netherlands
2024 MINIM.AL, With Anne Truitt in Mind, group exhibition, ICOON Museum, The Netherlands
2024 H_A_R_D_P_A_P_E_R, group exhibition, Phoenix Art Space, Brighton UK
2023 State of Affairs (two person with Richard Graville) Studio James William Murray, Phoenix Art Space, Brighton UK 2023 SATM (group) Stéphanie Frederickx, church tower of Sint Anna ter Muiden, The Netherlands
2022 Great Small Works (group) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke, BE
2022 Niagara Falls Projects: Return, Gallery DODO, Brighton UK
2021 Object Q / Pursuit of Happiness (two person with Garth Gratrix) Gallery DODO Brighton UK
2021 Many Splendored Things (two person with Garth Gratrix) Abingdon Studios Blackpool UK
2021 Material Curing (group) Thames-Side Studios Gallery, London UK
2021 Too Young To Fruit (group) Wevet Projects, Brighton UK
2021 New Ideal (group) Rule Gallery Denver CO USA
2020 Between The Lines (group)Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2020 When Net Becomes Form, artetcetcetc (online)
2020 Great Small Works (group) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2019 Grounded (group) Rule Gallery, Denver CO USA
2019 On The Stretcher (group) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2018 Lingering (two person with Philip) Van Isacker) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2018 ideal-i (two with Alexander Glass) Niagara Falls Projects, Brighton UK
2018 Sussex Open (group) Towner Eastbourne, Eastbourne UK
2016 Marks Make Meaning: Drawing Across Disciplines (group) University of Brighton UK
2017 Old 16 / New 17 (group) Stephane Simoens Contemporary Fine Art, Knokke BE
2016 Screened (group) Ardesia Projects, Brighton Photo Fringe UK
2016 Sussex Open (group) Towner Gallery, Eastbourne, UK
2016 Daily Life Storage (group) MoMA PS1. New York, USA
2016 Athens Photo Festival (group) Benaki Museum (Pireos Annexe), Athens GR
2015 Buzzed (group) Phillips Auctioneers, London UK
2015 After Desire (group) University of Brighton UK
2013 London Art Fair, (group) Axisweb stand, Business Design Centre, London UK
2013 200 Faces (group) Kingston House, Birmingham & Quayside Tower, Swindon UK
2012 Bread & Roses (group) Motorcade Flashparade, Bristol UK
2012 Miles Km (group) Bussey Building, London UK
2012 Basement (group) The Regency Town House, Hove UK
Artist Books
2022 Realia, Studio James William Murray, edition of 30, with text by Tom Laver and James William Murray 2021 Also Men, Studio James William Murray, edition of 1000, with texts by Paul Bench and George Lynch 2020 The Drawing Stone Studio, James William Murray, edition of 150, with text by Bryony Bodimeade 2015 Beheld, Studio James William Murray, edition of 150, with text by Sean Birnie
Teaching/Gallery Education
2021-2022 Doctoral College Mentor, University of Brighton UK
2021-2023 Lecturer, University of Brighton UK
2019 Writing as artistic expression workshop, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK 2019 Abstract drawing workshop, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
2018-2019 Visiting lecturer, Hastings University Centre UK
2016 Alternative Perspectives Artist Talk, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK 2015-2016 Coordinator of Unit 8 peer crit sessions, Brighton UK
Curated/Facilitated Projects
2020 The Streets Where Foxes Hide (Reinis Lismanis), off-site Niagara Falls Projects exhibition at Brighton Centre For Contemporary Art UK
2019 Evil Rises, Niagara Falls, (Ashley Beachey, Sean Birnie, Richard Jed Butler, Bob Visser) Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2019 New Alchemy (Jure Kastelic), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2018 Not the Dead Spit, (Sophie Barber & Georgia Hayes) Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2018 Celestial Body, Spiritual Earth (Joseph Long), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2018 Is this wet p*$$¥ remix no get enemy, nothing like this love that I’m feeling (Irvin Pascal) Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2017 E2 - E4 (Jacob Clayton), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
2017 She, (Melissa Campbell), Niagara Falls Projects Brighton UK
Collections
University of Brighton UK
The British Library UK
Hellenic Centre for Photography GR
SPBH collection UK
Private collections throughout UK, USA, Europe
Awards / Residencies
2023 University of Brighton, doctoral college research grant
2022 a-n bursary: time space money
2022 Artist in Residence, Rule Gallery, Marfa Texas USA
2021 University of Brighton, doctoral college research grant
2021 Arts Council England National Lottery project grant
2019 Artist in Residence, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK
2018 Sussex Open 18 Commission, Towner Gallery, Eastbourne UK 2013 Eye Witness Award, The Independent
Membership of Professional bodies
Axis web
A-N (Artist Network)
Artists’ Collecting Society (A.C.A) British Art Network
